Pull-strap.



F. B. KENNEDY. BULL STRAP. A'PPLIOATIOK FILED NOV, 21, 1907.

994,751. Patented June 13,1911.

Fig. 1

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

ERANK B. KENNEDY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO THE RECORDING REGISTER & FARE BOX COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PULL-STRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 21, 1907.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Serial No. 403,131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States,and resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pull-Straps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

This invention comprises an improved pull or hand strap for use introlley cars and similar conveyances. It is herein illustrated asapplied to the levers for operating the fare register rods of suchconveyances.

Figure 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 an end view, and Fig. 3 a side view ofthis device showing it in its operative position.

Registers of'the class referred to are commonly operated by means of arod 5, extending lengthwise of the car, and mounted for turningmovement. This turning movement of the rod is transmitted to theregister by any suitable connection such as a crank arm and connectingrod, which, however, are not herein shown. The rod is provided atsuitable intervals along the car with operating arms 6, which areclamped to the rod in any convenient way, as by bolts 7 As these rodsare usually placed in a car too high to allow their levers to be reachedby the conductors, the arms are each commonly provided with a loopedpendant strap hanging within reach of the conductors. These straps,being subjected to hard usage, wear through and break quite quickly,particularly at their point of connection with the operating arms.Moreover, in the case of the straps now in common use, when one strap ispulled and released some of them, and particularly those which are notpulled, are liable to be swung up over the top of the rod, or over thetop of the arm, out of the reach of the operator, by the jerkingmovementof the arm on its upward return stroke. This is also likely to happenwhen these straps hang adjacent to the signal cord of the car, whichsometimes engages the free swinging ends of the straps and swings themover the rod 5 or over the arm 6, in either case putting them out of theconvenient reach of the 0011- ductor. Moreover, in the case of thestraps cation requires more time for renewing a broken strap, and asthis work of renewal is frequently done on the car while it is inservice the saving of a small amount of time and the necessity for theuse of riveting tools are factors of considerable importance.

According to the present invention an eye 8 is formed in the arm 6,large enough to enable the doubled or looped end of the strap to bepassed through the eye, an enlargement being formed in the strap aboveand below the eye, to maintain the strap in position relative to theeye, allowing sufiiclent looseness to permit free action. Theenlargement for the upper side of the eye is preferably made byinserting a filling piece of wood, leather, or any suitable material inthe upper end of the loop, while the enlargement below the eye is madeby lapping an end of the strap upon the doublcd'portion and riveting thethree plies together, preferably with the upwardly projecting end 11 onthe outside, so as to form -a decided shoulder below the arm, while atthe same time holding the other two members of the lapped joint closelytogether.

The straps are preferably made up and completely riveted by themanufacturer in the form shown in the drawings, with the exception ofinserting the block or filler 14 in the upper loop. In applying thestrap it is only necessary to push the doubled end of the small loopupwardly through the eye '8 of the arm, insert the filling piece 14, andsecure it therein, either by means of glue, or by means of a small pinor tack 15. The two plies of the strap which extend through the eye 8,being held close together, arequite stifi, so that the sides of the eyeprevent the strap from swinging sidewise in either direction to anyconsiderable extent, thus preventing the strap from being turned up overthe arm 6, or over the rod 5, and thereby keeping the strap at all timesin'its derial of which it is made, or according to the means availablefor removing it. It will be found convenient to make the filling piece14 of round leather, of a length sub stantially equaling the width ofthe strap 10. These straps may also be used as hand or hanging straps,by slipping the upper loop over the ordinary round rod usually employedfor the hanging strap. Or special fixed arms or hangers, having an eyelike the eye 8,'may be provided, in which case the upper loop may bepassed through the said eye and secured thereto in the man ner shownherein.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination .with an arm provided with aneye, of a looped strap having a double portion passing through the saideye and secured against withdrawal therefrom by means of an expandingpiece inserted in the loop at one side of the eye, and by an end of thestrap secured to the double portion, making a three-ply thickness of thestrap at the other side of the eye.

2. The combination, with an arm provided with an eye, of a looped strapformed by looping the two ends of the strap together and securing themto the other member of the loop at a point adjacent to one end of thedoubled strap, the said end being inserted through the loop, and aremovable engaging piece inserted in the loop beyond the said eye.

3. The combination of an arm provided with an eye, a looped strap havingits doubled end passed through the said eye and having a filling piecesecured in the said loop above the eye to prevent the retraction of theloop, the said strap, including an end thereof, being enlarged below theeye to prevent the strap from pushing upwardly through the eye.

4. The combination of a turning rod, an operating arm secured to the rodand provided with an eye, a looped strap having a doubled portion passedthrough the said eye and enlarged on each side of the said eye to opposeendwise movement of the strap through the eye in both directions of theswinging movement of the operating arm.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s ecification this18th day of November, 190i in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS HOOKER, Jr., JOHN Q. TILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

